This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2001-20174, filed Apr. 16, 2001, in the Korean Industrial Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc cartridge and a disc recording and reproducing apparatus, and more particularly, to a disc cartridge and a disc recording and reproducing apparatus in which foreign material adhering to the surface of a disc can be effectively removed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a disc cartridge 1, as shown in FIG. 1, accommodates a disc 2 where predetermined information is stored in an optical or magnetic method. A shutter 3 capable of sliding to be selectively opened or shut is installed at one side of the disc cartridge 1 so that a head (not shown) of a disc recording and reproducing apparatus can access the disc 2 and perform recording and reproduction.
However, the disc 2 accommodated in the cartridge 1 is not normally provided with a protective layer. Thus, when foreign material such as tiny dust particles adhere to the surface of the disc 2, critical errors may be generated during recording and reproducing information to/from the disc 2. Even when the disc 2 is not accommodated in the cartridge 1 and is provided with the protective layer, foreign material adhering to the surface of the disc 2 may generate an error during recording and reproduction. In particular, in the case of the disc 2 used by being accommodated in the cartridge 1, it is highly likely that an error is generated due to foreign material adhering to the surface of the disc 2.
Thus, in order to reduce the possibility of generation of such an error, according to the conventional technology, a cleaning apparatus as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 is installed inside the cartridge 1 to remove foreign material on the surface of the disc 2. The cleaning apparatus includes a support arm 4 rotatably installed in the cartridge 1, a cleaning member 5 installed at the support arm 4 to contact the surface of the disc 2, and a lever portion 6 protruding outside the cartridge 1 so that a user can rotate the support arm 4. Thus, during cleaning, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the support arm 4 is rotated so that the cleaning member 5 is in contact with the disc 2. Then, the disc 2 is rotated to clean the foreign material adhering to the surface of the disc 2. During recording and reproduction, as shown in FIG. 2, the support arm 4 is rotated in the opposite direction so that the disc 2 does not interfere with the cleaning member 5.
In the above-described structure, it is inconvenient for a user to manipulate the lever portion 6 every time cleaning is desired. Also, since the support arm 4 and the lever portion 6 are installed outside the area of the disc 2, the cartridge 1 becomes large and it is difficult to manufacture a compact disc recording and reproducing apparatus. Thus, a structure to remove foreign material on the surface of the disc 2 in a simple and convenient method is needed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disc cartridge and a disc recording and reproducing apparatus having a simplified structure so that foreign material on the surface of a disc can be easily removed.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
To achieve the above and other objects, there is provided a disc cartridge including a disc which is an information recording medium, and a case to accommodate the disc, the disc cartridge comprising a cleaning unit installed inside the case and selectively contacting or being separated from the disc depending on a flow of air generated during a rotation of the disc, so that the cleaning unit removes foreign material adhering on a surface of the disc when contacting the disc.
Also, to achieve the above and other objects, there is provided a disc recording and reproducing apparatus to record or reproduce information with respect to a disc rotating inside a housing, the apparatus comprising a cleaning unit installed inside the housing and selectively contacting or being separated from the disc depending on a flow of air generated during a rotation of the disc, so that the cleaning unit removes foreign material adhering on a surface of the disc when contacting the disc.